James Alison takes an interesting look at 'the resurrection and original sin. He tilte's this section the same as he does his book - The Joy of Being Wrong.
After noting that the doctrine of original sin, like the doctrine of the trinity, is not found explicitly in the apostolic witness. Alison goes on to say they are legitimate as a proper working out of the shape of salvation produced by the death and resurrectionof Jesus and that they are parallel and mutually dependent outworkings of the presence of that salvation in the midst of humanity. He writes:
Any doctrine that does not - ultimately flow from the resurrection, as a development of its content and consequences, must properly be questioned as to its starting point and as to its validity.
It is this event - this event without physical evidence - that becomes the rock (so to speak) of how our lives will be shaped as we step out into this day as followers of Jesus.It is a genesis event even as it is a resurrection event. Something new - a life - an outlook - a perspective - a journey - begins to move forward from this episode in that garden in which the tomb was empty and death was no longer the victor. So the resurrection really does start it all - life begins here. From the empty tomb and with Jesus alive beyond the bounds of death, life must be redefined from the ground up. Does life end at death? Is death to be the power that none of us can escape? Isn't that how we often see it - we hope to escaped death? I know that was in my thoughts before heart surgery. I wanted to get to the other side of surgery - I wanted things to keep on going as they were once going. But that is not the adventure into which we are pulled when resurrection breaks into our lives. We are told the brokeness of life that comes to its depths in death is no longer the power of life that owns us. There is a life that is it now available in which our brokenness - our sin - our part in the games of evil - everything we thought has been controlling us - is over. It has no power. I wonder if this is what gives Alison the wording: the joy of begin wrong? We live too much of life under the wrong ruler - death is no longer the defining way - resurrection is. That is a joy-filled reality. And yet, it is one that I too often run from - like those first disciples. We were wrong! Yes!
Connection: I already made a connection to my thinking about surgery. But more importantly, this 'joy' of being wrong about death and sin and brokenness comes with a way to enter back into the movement of this day. We - as followers of Jesus - have a way to reenter this day that will be one in which we do not go along with the powers of death - we counter death with life and promise. That is the genesis of joy put into life - now.
O God of life, it is within your blessed grasp that we are pulled into your Reign of peace and set into this day as your beloved
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